Trying to revert a bad habit? You’re not alone. Most of us have at least one habit we’d like to break, whether it’s biting our nails, checking our phones constantly, or procrastinating on important tasks.

Why bad habits feel automatic

It can be really hard to get rid of bad habits. By definition a habit is something that you do “automatically” and you might feel like you don’t have control over it.

This is the frustrating part about habits: they operate below the level of conscious awareness. You don’t decide to bite your nails or check your phone - it just happens. Your brain has created a neural pathway that makes the behavior automatic, and once that pathway is established, it’s incredibly difficult to break.

The good news is that you do have control. You just need to work with how your brain actually functions, not against it. There are a couple of tips that can help you revert bad habits.

Step 1: create awareness triggers

First, you can think of something that will help you realize when you’re falling into the habit. The key is to interrupt the automatic behavior before it happens or catch it as early as possible.

For example, if you bite your nails you can use products that will make them taste bitter. Not only will you be deterred from biting them, you will realize when you’re doing it and can consciously decide not to do it.

The bitter taste serves as an awareness trigger. It breaks the automatic nature of the habit by making you conscious of what you’re doing. Once you’re aware, you can make a choice instead of acting on autopilot.

Other awareness triggers you can use:

• Visual reminders: Put a rubber band on your wrist to remind you not to check your phone
• Environmental cues: Move your phone to another room to break the automatic reach
• Time-based triggers: Set a timer to remind you to take breaks from work
• Physical barriers: Put your credit card in a different wallet to reduce impulse spending

Step 2: make replacement behaviors easy

Additionally you can make sure that you have a way to prevent the habit handy for when it happens. The goal is to make the good behavior easier than the bad one.

For example, you can keep nail clippers on your desk so that when you get the urge to bite them you can trim them instead.

This is called habit replacement. Instead of trying to stop a behavior completely (which is incredibly difficult), you replace it with a better alternative that satisfies the same underlying need.

More replacement strategies:

• Instead of checking social media: Keep a book or puzzle nearby
• Instead of snacking on junk food: Have healthy snacks pre-cut and ready
• Instead of procrastinating: Break your task into tiny, manageable steps
• Instead of negative self-talk: Have a list of positive affirmations ready

Understanding the habit loop

To effectively break a habit, you need to understand how habits work. Every habit follows a three-part loop:

1. Cue: The trigger that starts the habit
2. Routine: The actual behavior
3. Reward: The benefit you get from the behavior

The key is to identify your habit’s cue and reward. Once you understand what triggers your habit and what reward you’re seeking, you can find better ways to get that same reward.

For example, if you check your phone when you’re bored (cue), you might be seeking stimulation or connection (reward). A better replacement might be calling a friend or working on an interesting project.

The power of environment design

Your environment has a huge impact on your habits. You can make bad habits harder and good habits easier by changing your surroundings.

Make bad habits harder:

• Put your phone in another room when you want to focus
• Don’t keep junk food in the house
• Uninstall social media apps from your phone
• Use apps that block distracting websites

Make good habits easier:

• Put your workout clothes next to your bed
• Keep a water bottle on your desk
• Have healthy snacks visible and junk food hidden
• Set up your workspace to encourage focus

The importance of patience and persistence

Breaking habits takes time. Your brain has spent months or years strengthening the neural pathways for your bad habits. It will take time to weaken those pathways and build new ones.

Don’t expect perfection. You will slip up, and that’s normal. The key is to get back on track quickly rather than giving up completely.

Track your progress. Keep a simple log of when you successfully avoid your bad habit. This helps you see your progress and stay motivated.

Celebrate small wins. Every time you catch yourself before falling into the habit, that’s a victory. Every time you choose the replacement behavior, that’s progress.

The learning mindset

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.” - Seneca

This quote perfectly captures the mindset you need for breaking bad habits. It’s not about being perfect - it’s about continuously learning and improving.

Every attempt to break a habit is a learning opportunity. You learn what triggers your habit, what replacement behaviors work for you, and what strategies help you stay on track.

The goal isn’t to never make mistakes again. The goal is to get better at recognizing when you’re about to fall into old patterns and having the tools to make different choices.

Practical steps to get started

Decide which habit you want to revert, find a way to realize when you’re doing it and make it easy to remove the temptation.

Pick one habit to focus on. Don’t try to break multiple habits at once. Choose the one that’s having the biggest negative impact on your life.

Identify your triggers. Pay attention to when and where your habit happens. What emotions, situations, or people trigger it?

Choose your awareness strategy. What will help you catch yourself before or during the habit?

Pick a replacement behavior. What better behavior can you do instead that satisfies the same need?

Set up your environment. Make the bad habit harder and the good habit easier.

Start small and be patient. Focus on progress, not perfection.

The bottom line

Bad habits feel automatic because they are automatic. But that doesn’t mean you’re powerless to change them.

The key is working with your brain, not against it. Use awareness triggers to catch yourself, replacement behaviors to satisfy your needs, and environment design to make good choices easier.

Remember that breaking habits is a skill. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at it. Every attempt teaches you something about yourself and your patterns.

Start with one habit today. Pick the one that matters most to you and begin the process of change. Your future self will thank you.